History Main / TechnicolorToxin

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'', Season 3: [[AxeCrazy pyschopathic]] Sram assassin [[MeaningfulName Toxine]] is usually invisible or translucid, but she has bright green spots on her body, most notably on her [[BladeBelowTheShoulder wrist blades]] and heels. As she's quick to mention in her first appearance, her blades are highly poisonous.

* There are however many, many avertions, such as the snowy white [[PoisonMushroom highly lethal Destroying Angel mushroom,]]or lye crystals, the latter of which will cause severe burns on contact.

Thanks to these distinctive colors, the audience can [[RuleOfPerception instantly perceive whether a substance is toxic or not]]. There are instances of this being TruthInTelevision, as shown below - especially when dealing with organic poisons, where signaling to predators that a particular plant or animal is poisonous is necessary for the poison to provide protection.

* A promotional picture for the first season of ''Series/TheBorgias'' depicts Lucrezia Borgia holding a small vial filled with green liquid, presumably poison, as the real-life Lucrezia Borgia was supposedly a notorious poisoner. In the series itself, poison is usually depicted as colorless, though.

** ''VideoGame/HeyPikmin'': The poison that serves as the game's GrimyWater and more rarely appears as geysers is a bright, vivid purple. Olimar confuses a purple [[VideoGame/{{Splatoon}} Inkling's]][[note]](more accurately, the [[Toys/{{Amiibo}} statue]] of one.)[[/note]] ink for poison just because of this trope, suggesting that he should play with water instead. He's [[RightForTheWrongReasons somewhat right about the ink]] (it is toxic... to everyone ''except'' that Inkling and his teammates, and other colors of ink would be just as toxic to him), but replacing it with water would be [[SuperDrowningSkills much worse]].

* Besides chlorine, the rest of the halogen elements are like this. Bromine is either a red-brown liquid or a bright orange gas, and Fluorine, the most reactive of the lot that isn’t Astatine (read on) is a very pale yellow gas. Iodine is bright purple, as noted above. Astatine would be black, but it's so radioactive that a sample large enough for us to see [[StuffBlowingUp would promptly explode in a nuclear fireball]]. Be careful with halogens, everyone.

* The poison in ''VideoGame/NeopetsTheDarkestFaerie'' is bright green.
* The poisonous attacks in ''VideoGame/OperenciaTheStolenSun'' are always very bright (almost whitish) green in color.
* In ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'', the nerve gas in Area51 is greenish in color.
* ''VideoGame/Pikmin1'': The Smoky Progg leaves a trail of green sludge that instantly kills any Pikmin that touches it.

* In ''VideoGame/RuneScape'', poison is bright green. Poison damage is represented by bright green splats, poisoned weapons turn bright green at their tips, and your Life Meter changes to a bright green color when you're poisoned.
* In ''VideoGame/Stinkoman20X6'', the poison dripping from "Tortan" (a bottle of poison) is bright lime-green in color.

* Throughout the ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' series, the various color-coded potions do a variety of things, but the green potion is always poison, and a poisoned character's health bar turns green. Furthermore, some of the games had green swamps that would poison your character if you walked through them without special swamp boots (also green).
* In ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' the plague cloud released by some Scourge units is green and intoxicates anyone nearby. The Venom Globe is bright green and Dryads can use green poisonous spears.
** Most toxins in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' are green.
* In one of the ''VideoGame/XMenLegends'' games, if you level up Cyclops enough, he gets an upgrade that makes his beams radioactive, doing slow continual damage for some time after it lands. Naturally, this means the beam turns green.

Eastern media tend to portray poisonous substances in a [[EditorialSynesthesia dark purple color]], usually bubbling. In Western media, [[SicklyGreenGlow Sickly Green]] is more common because of the former popularity of arsenates, which really are fluorescent green. There are also other works from both sides of the Atlantic showing poisons and venoms of various other colors.

* Poisons used to be marked with a skull and crossbones, but researchers found that children associated those symbols with pirates and adventure. The "Mr. Yuk" symbol, a stylized face similar to an emoji registering disgust, on a yellowish-green background, was developed based on research on what best signalled to children that a substance would harm them.

* Automotive antifreeze containing the toxic substance ethylene glycol was often dyed green (subverted with many modern long-life antifreezes that may be colored yellow, orange, purple or pink.)

** Many venomous reptiles, unlike the frogs, also subvert this. Some are brightly-colored, such as the red-yellow-black coral snake ("red touches yellow, kills a fellow") and the eyelash viper (just yellow, also kills a fellow). There are many snakes that are brightly colored and not venomous however (like those that mimic coral snakes) or dull-colored and venomous, like the brownish King Cobra and the dead-leaf-colored Gaboon viper.

* There are however many, many subversions, such as the snowy white [[PoisonMushroom highly lethal Destroying Angel mushroom,]]or lye crystals, the latter of which will cause severe burns on contact.

* Later games in the ''VideoGame/{{Emergency}}'' series are notable because anything that poses a contamination risk—including chemical, biological, and radiological contaminants—can be visible as a green cloud.

* In ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', the "Poison" and "Toxin" status itself is usually shown in the form of green bubbles/green oozing stuff.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'', Venom magic is bright green at low levels and dark green at high levels.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', not only are poison spells green, characters also glow green when poisoned.
* Bio spell in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance''.
* Poison weapons and potions are vibrantly green in ''VideoGame/FuryUnleashed'', and cause the afflicted enemies to have a SicklyGreenGlow.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyroDawnOfTheDragon'': Cynder's Poison element is green.

* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'': Poison and Toxic are associated with the color purple and require purple moss to be purged. Both Undead Dragons encountered can vomit streams of poisonous purple liquid as a form of attack, and some of the Pyromancer's venomous tricks are purple-colored. There are also exceptions, such as the poisonous swamps at the bottom of Blighttown, which are brownish in color, but still build up the poison gauge, or the Basilisks (bright purple reptiles which however inflict Curse, not poison).

* Automotive antifreeze containing the toxic substance ethylene glycol is usually dyed green.

** ''VideoGame/Pikmin1'': The Smoky Progg leaves a trail of green sludge that instantly kills any Pikmin that touches it.

** ''VideoGame/Pikmin3'' uses either an inky black (for aquatic enemies) or a neon pink (for the Vehemoth Phosbat) for poison.

* IT doesn't matter whether the poison in the ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}'' games is applied through magic, gas, spider bites or worms' spit - it'll always look green, and work in the same way.

* The poisonous essence that regularly expands and shrinks the playable area in ''VideoGame/BattleRoyaleio'' is purple-colored.
* In most ''VideoGame/BraveFrontier'' games, the Poison status is purple in color, but its symbol shows green bubbles on a purple background.
* In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon'', the poison status effect causes Nathan to take on a purple tint. Poisonous snakes, Poison Armors and other poison enemies are purple, fitting the games focus on [[ElementalPowers different elemental traits]]. The Manticore card applies the Poison element to your spells, which results in predominantly purple graphical effects. Interestingly enough, antidotes are also represented by a bottle filled with purple liquid.

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', Poison and Toxic are associated with the color purple and require purple moss to be purged. Both Undead Dragons encountered can vomit streams of poisonous purple liquid as a form of attack, and some of the Pyromancer's venomous tricks are purple-colored. There are also exceptions, such as the poisonous swamps at the bottom of Blighttown, which are brownish in color, but still build up the poison gauge, or the Basilisks (bright purple reptiles which however inflict Curse, not poison).
* In ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'', poisoned characters are signaled with purple bubbles.
* "Poisonous Pipeline" in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble'' features as its {{gimmick}} purple liquid that [[InterfaceScrew inverts the D-pad commands]]. A first for the series, since poisoned water in previous games is depicted as green (see below).
* In the ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' series, poison swamps are always colored violet.
* Starting from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'', almost all the games in the saga features purple swamps where you take damage as you walk.
** When Kefka dumps poison into the river surrounding Doma Castle in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', the water takes on a purplish hue.
** The Miasma spell in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' is purple.
* Skulryk's poison clouds in ''VideoGame/{{Gemfire}}'' are '''deep''' purple.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Genji}}: Dawn Of The Samurai'', the Poison element is Purple.
* Poisonous swamps are always bright purple in ''VideoGame/{{Highborn}}''.
* Giant mushrooms in ''VideoGame/HiveJump'' spit clouds of purple gas.
* Poisonous swamps are purple in ''VideoGame/JesusChristRPGTrilogy''.
* In ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', Kirby's Poison [[PowerCopying Copy Ability]] lets him emit violet liquids and gases and gives him a hat that spews the liquid out of the top.
* The poison from both the Poison Staff and the blowpipes in ''VideoGame/{{Thelastio}}'' is represented as purple.
* You can tell Woodfall Swamp is poisoned in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'' due to the water having a distinct reddish-purple hue. Even the plants take on bright, unnatural colors.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Mabinogi}}'', poison bottles (used for coating weapons) are bright purple, and poisoned characters or monsters acquire a purple tint and emit purplish fumes. Sulfur poisoning from Zardine fumarole areas tints the player yellow with a purple tinge.
* In ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'', poisoned characters turn purple.

* In ''{{VideoGame/Overwatch}}'', Widowmaker's Venom Mine, Zenyatta's Discord Orb and Ana's biotic grenade all cause the affected target to glow purple. The former chips away at health while the latter two increase damage and decrease healing.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' games, the spores from the Puffstool and the poison gas in the sequel are purple. The color coding is also used for (the more pinkish) Munge Dweevils, which are part of a family of enemies with ElementalPowers [[spoiler: as well as the [[FinalBoss Titan Dweevil]], when he's about to use his poison weapon.]] Oddly, ''White'' Pikmin are the type immune to the latter, while Purple Pikmin don't have a hazardous element they're immune to, [[color:*:though they can't be blown by wind]], making Whites the only Pikmin who's color does not match that of their element.
** In ''Hey! Pikmin'', Olimar confuses a purple [[VideoGame/{{Splatoon}} Inkling's]][[labelnote:*]](more accurately, the [[Toys/{{Amiibo}} statue]] of one.)[[/labelnote]] ink for poison just because of this trope, suggesting that he should play with water instead. He's [[RightForTheWrongReasons somewhat right about the ink]] (it is toxic... to everyone ''except'' that Inkling and his teammates, and other colors of ink would be just as toxic to him), but replacing it with water would be [[SuperDrowningSkills much worse]].
* In ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', the Poison elemental type has a purple icon, "Poisoned" status is also purple, and many Poison-type attacks (such as Toxic and Gunk Shot) are represented with a bubbly purple goop. Furthermore, many Poison-related Pokémon like Koffing/Weezing, Ekans/Arbok, Gastly/Haunter/Gengar, Nidoran/Nidorina/Nidorino/Nidoqueen/Nidoking, Zubat/Golbat/Crobat, Stunky/Skuntank, Skorupi/Drapion are violet in color.

* ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'': a mismatched case: Gen'an's poison cloud is orange, but the poisoned victim becomes purple.
* Poison in ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' games turns characters purple with violet bubbles coming off them.
* In ''VideoGame/SouthParkPhoneDestroyer'', the card art for Toxic Pylon depicts the substance as purple.
* In ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'', F.A.N.G.'s poison attacks emit gobs of purple goo and pillars of purple smoke. When his opponent is hit byone of his abilities, their life meter changes to a purplish hue when the DamageOverTime effect takes over.
* In [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] games, the purple shroom inflicts poison or disables the playable characters, depending on the game.

** The stronger version of the poison status in the ''Mario & Luigi'' games turns the brothers bright violet.

* In the Cave level of the Subspace Emissary story in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'', the poison gas you encounter is purple colored.
* The GrimyWater in the final level of ''VideoGame/TonicTrouble'' is shaded purple.
* The poison in ''VideoGame/WheresMyWater''. If it so much as touches water, the entire body of water will turn purple as well.
* The poisonous gas that regularly advances and shrinks the playable area in ''VideoGame/ZombsRoyaleio'' is purple-colored.

In RealLife, poison is usually detected and identified thanks to its bitter taste and/or smell. But how can we identify a poison as such in works like anime or video games, where taste and smell aren't an option?